Young people from across the country came together in the West Midlands to share their ideas about shaping the future of policing in the UK.
The event, called a Hope Hack, is a national workshop for 15-25-year-olds, to discuss how they think society needs to change.
Around 100 young people gathered in Coventry this week to watch musical performances, keynote speakers and panel discussions on stage at the Belgrade Theatre, before splitting up into groups to hold lively debates around the theme of reimagining policing.
It was also an opportunity for the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP), which helped organise the event, to showcase their My Tomorrow Campaign, an initiative across the region to celebrate young people and empower them to influence policy makers.
Suggestions put forward by the young people at Hope Hack included putting more importance on mental health and mutual respect, as well as young people being aware of their rights around stop and search.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, attended the event.
He said: “It was really helpful and informative, to hear about young people’s personal experiences of policing, whether that’s about stop and search, or the wider criminal justice system and that’s really important, because it shapes the relationship they have with the police.
“We have to listen to, engage with and invest in our young people. That’s why we’ve recently launched the My Tomorrow campaign for the West Midlands, which is all about empowering young people.”
Hope Hacks are run by the Hope Collective, a partnership of youth organisations formed originally to support the 20th anniversary legacy campaign for Damilola Taylor, a 10-year-old boy who was killed in 2000.
It has so far hosted 33 hope hack events across the country and its hoped input from young people who attend will inform government policy.
Five violence reduction units partnered with the Hope Collective, UK Youth, the National Citizen Service, the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, the National Black Police Association, West Midlands Police and the Police Race Action Plan for the Hope Hack event.
